you've probably had one or several bosses who told you to "think outside the box" and "come to me with solutions, not problems."
so if you're unemployed and competing with a record number of job seekers in today's economy, you can't help but think that flashy and outrageous is the way to get noticed. and maybe it is for some people, but not everyone is willing to stand at a busy intersection wearing a sandwich-board sign that says, "hire me!"
where does that leave you, a job seeker who needs some way to make your résumé look more attractive than the 50 other ones in the stack?
fear not: the rules of job seeking are in constant flux, and employers are looking for an impressive candidate, even if his or her credentials are unorthodox. the following are some examples of what other job seekers are doing to get an edge over other applicants.
1. start a blog
doesn't it seem as if everyone and their mother has a blog these days? except you, that is.
find a subject you're knowledgeable about and start writing. compose articles that illustrate your command of the topic and that can serve as resources for someone. over time you'll accumulate an impressive collection of work, says lauren milligan of resumayday, a company that helps job seekers craft résumés.
"it doesn't really matter what type of job you are seeking; there is always an angle that will interest people," milligan says. "if you are a financial manager, write about how a family's investment strategy should change during a recession, or how to research an investment opportunity to avoid the next bernie madoff. if you are an administrative professional, write about time-management strategies or online tools that help you through your day."
she stresses that you don't have to be looking for a writing job to get an employer's attention.
"doing this will let potential employers know that you are engaged at an expert level and will gain insights into you as an employee that won't be available to other candidates," milligan says. "it will also let employers know that you are comfortable with online tools. in other words, this is a great way to gain a competitive edge."
2. facebook / linkedin / brightfuse
even though social networking isn't the technology fledgling it once was, it's still new on the scene in terms of job seeking. we hear about people who get caught lying on their facebook profiles, but people are getting hired via networking sites, too. you can use your education and work history fields to create a new form of résumé. search your friends list for valuable contacts or join professional networks that can help you find a job or at least get the word out that you're looking.
"technology doesn't replace the networking step of the job search, but it can certainly make it easier and faster," says lynne sarikas, director of the mba career at northeastern university's college of business administration. "social networking sites can help you identify appropriate contacts for networking."
3. twitter
on twitter, which is a different kind of networking site, you can leverage contacts in the same way, only you can tweet about your job hunt and people can stumble upon your profile more easily.
your profile or tweets can link to your personal site, whether it's an online portfolio or blog. not only will you make new contacts, but you'll also have a larger audience viewing the hard work you put into your site, which can impress a potential employer.
4. virtual career fairs
if you dislike the idea of taking your suit to the cleaners and finding a sitter for the kids just to head out to a job fair, then stay at home and go online.
"[virtual career fairs are part of] a growing trend among employers looking for a new, cost-effective way to recruit high-quality talent as well as tech-savvy job seekers," says jennefer traeger, who works with unisfair, a virtual job-fair provider. the global aspect of virtual fairs removes geographic obstacles that otherwise complicate job searches.
或许曾经不下一名上司叫你要打破常规地去想问题，叫你要带着答案而不是问题去见他们。
所以，在当今的经济状况下，如果你还没就业，并且面对人数创历史新高的求职者，你会不由自主地以为：想让人注意你吗？那就把自己打扮得耀眼点，或是蛮横无理点。但并非所有人都会这么做，并非所有人都乐得站在拥挤的路口，胸前背后挂着自我推销的广告牌，上面写着：雇我！
哪儿还有你的立足之地？你需要另求他法来弄你的简历以便使它在那一堆简历中更为吸引人的眼球。
不必担心的是，求职规则总是处在不断的变化中，尽管你的资格证明书不合乎正统，只要能给人留下深刻印象，雇主就会看上你。以下是其他一些求职者在求职过程中如何胜出的一些例子。
1.开一个博客
如今貌似人人都有博客，不是吗？对，但就是你没有。找一个你在行的主题，开始写吧。撰写能够表明你熟知这一主题的文章，而这些文章可能就是别人的资源。久而久之，你就会积累起一批让人印象深刻的作品。resumayday公司的lauren milligan 说。resumayday公司专门为求职者制作简历。
“你要找哪一类型的工作并不要紧；从某种角度来看，总会有让人感兴趣的地方，”milligan说，“如果你是一名财务管理师，在经济衰退期间你就写有关如何转变家庭投资策略的东西，或是如何调查研究投资机会来避免下一次的伯纳德·麦道夫诈骗。如果你是一名行政人员，就写有关时间管理策略或是能够帮助人们度过艰难时光的在线工具的东西。”
她强调不必让雇主觉得你是在特意寻找一份写字工作。“自然而然地，未来雇主就会知道你写的东西已达专家级水平，并会把你而非他人当作一名雇员来深入了解你。”milligan说，“同时雇主也会知道你对在线工具的运作是多么的娴熟。换句话来说，这种方式能让你获得边际竞争优势。”
2.利用facebook / linkedin / brightfuse
尽管社会网络不再是一项新兴技术，但在求职方面还是显得很新鲜。传言有人在他们的facebook个人简介里造假，但亦有人通过网络找到了工作。你可以利用自己的知识能力和工作经历来创造一种新式简历。搜索你的朋友列表找出有价值的联系，加入能助你找到工作的专业网络，（如果不能）至少可以放出话去：我正在谋求中。
“技术不会取代你网络求职的步骤，但无疑它会使网络求职变得更容易快捷，”lynne sarikas说。lynne sarikas是美国东北大学工商管理学院mba职业培训中心的负责人。她说：“社交网站能够帮你找出适合联机的关系人。”
3.利用twitter
twitter是另一样的网站。在twitter,你能够以同样的方式来利用网络关系，但你只能“吱喳”有关你求职的事，这样才更容易让人们“栽进”你的简介资料。无论你的个人网页是一个在线文件夹还是一个博客，你都可以把你的个人简介或twitter信息链接到这些地方。这样不仅会有新关系找上你，还会有更多的人来读你煞费苦心而写出来的放在你的个人网页上的东西，这些都很可能会给未来雇主留下深刻印象。
4.虚拟招聘会
如果你不想仅仅因为要出去参加招聘会而把衣服丢给洗衣店并找个人来照管孩子的话，那么，哪也不要去，留在家里上网吧。
“雇主们正在寻求一条新型的和成本效益高的路径来招聘谙熟技术的求职者和高质人才，而虚拟招聘会正日益受到这些雇主的青睐。”jennefer traeger说。jennefer traeger是虚拟招聘会提供商unisfair的合作人。地理障碍使得求职过程变得复杂，而虚拟招聘会观点的全球化将消除这种障碍。